The Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Thursday voted 3-2 to allow coin-toss proposition wagers in time Super Bowl 59, which takes place Sunday in New Orleans. 

The vote came after commissioners repeated the same debate they had a year ago. At that time, the MGC decided not to allow those types of wagers on The Big Game. 

Commissioner Brad Hill, in a rare move, proposed the addition of the coin-toss props to the state’s betting catalog. While the MGC is allowed to add events to the betting catalog on its own, these sorts of requests are traditionally made by operators 

No operator this year has specifically petitioned the MGC to allow coin-toss prop wagering markets. But FanDuel had previously sought clarification on these markets. 

The markets that will be added to the Commonwealth’s betting catalog officially on Friday: 

• Coin Toss Result: Heads/Tails 
• Coin Toss Winner: Chiefs/Eagles 
• Coin Toss Winner Wins Game: Yes/No 
• Coin Toss Call Result: Correct/Incorrect

However, the MGC did not consider 2 related wagers: the color of the Gatorade poured on the winning coach, and the length of the National Anthem. 

Commissioners Closely Divided On Coin-Toss Props 

Of the 38 states that currently allow sports betting, Commissioner Eileen O’Brien said 12 jurisdictions do not allow these sorts of wagers. She voted no, along with Commissioner Nakisha Skinner. 

Both argued that the MGC did not follow its normal procedures in adding these wagers to the catalog. However, MGC Chief Legal Counsel Todd Grossman concurred with the staff analysis, saying that this was within the MGC’s legal jurisdiction. 

In a memo to the Commission briefing them on the matter, the Sports Wagering Division asked: “Accordingly, the question is whether a coin toss, for example, is a proposition bet on an NFL game that falls within the statutory definitions above such that it is a permissible wager authorized by the existing Event Catalog, or under the definition of “sporting event” it is not a “professional sport of athletic event” and must be approved by the Commission as an “other event authorized by the Commission under [Chapter 23N],” in which case it would not be a permissible wager authorized by the existing Event Catalog.”

Those who supported the addition of this market said that it would prevent bettors in the Commonwealth who wish to make these wagers from either going out of state (where they are offered in all the states with betting that border Massachusetts), or wagering with an offshore/illegal book. 

Hill is a basketball referee. He told Commissioners that a fan in attendance at a game in which he was officiating asked him recently during the game: “Are we going to be able to bet on the coin toss at the Super Bowl?” 

“I stopped and looked at him. And he was serious,” Hill said.

Hill said he then asked the same question a few days later at a restaurant in Ipswich. 

Hill said after last year’s Super Bowl he found no issues of betting integrity concerning the coin toss after surveying multiple jurisdictions. 

“I’m a good government for good government person. But I also believe we should not overcomplicate things,” Maynard added. “There is a market for it. The patrons want it. But, I would caution, to Commissioner O’Brien’s point . . .  if there are operators who don’t think they can scramble to get this ironed out before Sunday, they shouldn’t do it.”